The United States has made it clear that India is and will remain their key partner during the remainder of the Obama administration.

The United States has made it clear that India is and will remain their key partner during the remainder of the Obama administration.

“We greatly value and respect the relationship we have with India today and the one that we have worked very, very hard at improving and strengthening,” State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said.

“We are going to stay completely focused on that for the remainder of this Obama administration,” he added.

Welcoming India’s new Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna, John Kirby said, “We welcome the new ambassador and we look forward to working closely with him as he settles into his new duties, but I can tell you that nothing is going to change for the remainder of Secretary of State (John) Kerry’s tenure about the very keen focus that we are going to continue to place on our bilateral relationship with India.

Kirby, however, added that the form and shape of Indo-US relations during Trump presidency will be decided by the new administration.

“What happens after the inauguration of our new president is really for the new administration to speak to,” he said.

“What it looks like, the form and content and shape, I could not possibly predict what that is,” he added.